(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to underfill materials for flip chip devices. More particularly, this invention relates to a no-flow material for underfilling a flip chip device and an underfill method using the no-flow material.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Underfilling is well known for promoting the reliability of flip chip components, such as flip chips and ball grid array (BGA) packages that are physically and electrically connected to traces on organic or inorganic circuit boards with numerous solder bump connections. A basic function of an underfill material is to reduce the thermal expansion mismatch loading on the solder joints that electrically and physically attach a component, e.g., die, to an inorganic or organic substrate, such as a reinforced epoxy resin laminate circuit board. Underfill processes generally involve using a specially formulated dielectric material to completely fill the gap between the die and substrate and encapsulate the solder bump connections of the die. In conventional practice, underfilling takes place after the die is attached to the substrate. The underfill material is placed along the perimeter of the die, and capillary action is relied on to draw the material beneath the die.
Underfill materials preferably have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is relatively close to that of the solder connections, die and substrate to minimize CTE mismatches that would otherwise reduce the thermal fatigue life of the solder connections. Dielectric materials having suitable flow and processing characteristics for capillary underfill processes are typically thermosetting polymers such as epoxies. To achieve an acceptable CTE, a fine particulate filler material such as silica is added to the underfill material to lower the CTE from that of the polymer to something that is more compatible with the CTE's of the die, circuit board, and the solder composition of the solder connections.
For optimum reliability, the composition of a filled underfill material and the underfill process parameters must be carefully controlled so that voids will not occur in the underfill material beneath the die, and to ensure that a uniform fillet is formed along the entire perimeter of the die. Both of these aspects are essential factors in terms of the thermal cycle fatigue resistance of the solder connections encapsulated by the underfill. While highly-filled capillary-flow underfill materials have been widely and successfully used in flip chip assembly processes, expensive process steps are typically required to repeatably produce void-free underfills. Capillary underfill materials require the use of expensive dispensing equipment, and the capillary underfill process is a batch-like process that disrupts an otherwise continuous flip chip assembly process. Also, the adhesive strength of a capillary underfill material critically depends on the cleanliness of the die after reflow, necessitating costly cleaning equipment and complex process monitoring protocols. As such, the benefits of flip chip assembly using capillary underfill materials must be weighed against the burden of the capillary underfill process itself. These considerations limit the versatility of the flip chip underfill process to the extent that capillary underfilling is not practical for many flip chip applications.
In view of the above, alternative underfill techniques have been developed. One such technique is to laminate a film of underfill material to a bumped wafer prior to die singulation and attachment. With this technique, referred to as wafer-applied underfill (WAU), the solder bumps on the wafer must be re-exposed, such as by burnishing or a laser ablation process. WAU has not been widely used because of the required burnishing step, which can yield inconsistent results, such as uneven underfill thickness. Another underfill technique involves the use of what has been termed a “no-flow” underfill material. In this technique, depicted in FIG. 1, an underfill material 120 is deposited on the surface of a substrate 116. A bumped die 110 is then placed on the substrate 116, and force is applied to the die 110 to cause solder bumps 112 on the die 110 to penetrate the underfill material 120 and register with terminals 118 (e.g., traces or bond pads) on the substrate 116. Finally, the solder bumps 112 are reflowed to secure the die 110 to the substrate 116, during which time the underfill material 120 cures.
Contrary to capillary-flow underfill materials, filler materials are not typically added to no-flow underfill materials because of the tendency for the filler material to hinder the flip chip assembly process. With reference again to FIG. 1, filler particles 124 present in the underfill material 120 can impede the penetration of the underfill material 120 by the solder bumps 112. Filler particles 124 can also become trapped between the solder bumps 112 and the terminals 118 to interfere with the formation of a metallurgical bond, resulting in reduced reliability of the electrical connection. Without a filler material to reduce their CTE, no-flow underfill materials have not been practical for use in harsh environments, such as automotive applications for flip chips on laminate circuit boards.
In view of the above, it would be desirable if an underfill material and process were available that were capable of achieving the product reliability obtainable with capillary-flow underfill materials and processes, but without the cost and processing limitations of these materials.